Improvement in railway-switches



2 Sheets--Sheet L P. V. M. RAYMOND.

improvement in Railway-Switches. No. 114,196. Pat'entedApril25.i87l.

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Improvement in Railway-Switches.

Patented April 25, 1871.

theta sat-a PETER V. M. RAYMOND, OF CHARLES CITY,

IOWA.

Letters Patent No. 114,196, dated April 25, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT lN RAILWAY-SWITCHES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom t't'may concern;

Be it known that I, PETER V. M. RAYMOND, of

Charles City, in the county of Floyd and State of Iowa,

have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Railroad- Switclies; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference be,- ing had to the annexed drawing-making a part of this specification and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

' Figure 1 of the drawingis a plan view of my invention.

Figure 2 is a-vertical cross-section.

My invention has relation to means for preventing the accidents which are liable to occur when switches are left open; and

It consists in the construction and novel arrange.- ment of a safety-switch, consisting of two pairs of railplates, connected by as many track-rails as there may be branch tracks, and commuuicatingwith the branch tracks through pivoted tongue-rails, as hereinafter described.

The object of this method of construction is to provide a more gradual bend for the passage of the car. This is accomplished by elongating 0r flattening the curves of the rails on the plates, and by placing the turningepoints at such distances from each other that the wheels of the forward truck will not reach the second bend until after the Wheels of the rear truck, have 'passed the first bend; hence the pairs of cast iron frogs are placed at a distance from each other, and the construction adopted of connecting these plates by wrought-iron rails is designed to serve important purposes of strength, convenience, and economy.

In the drawing I have illustrated the invention as applied to the most ordinary case, where the main track branches into two; but the same principle may be applied to more complicated cases, where there are three or more branch tracks, with advantage.

Theletter A of the drawing designates a double tongned switch, operated by means of a sliding chair,

a, and lever n;

13 represents the pair of r'aihplates or frogs, which lies adjacent to and communicates directly with the tongues a a of the switch; 7

0 represents the pair of rail-plates which lies at the single track end of the switch and D represents the double-rail track which connects these two pairs of rail plates.

The tongues a of the switch are pivoted at the ends furthest from the rail-plates B, and theiris'hifting ends lie next to these rail-plates.

The rail-plates E and E, which compose the pair 0, may be described as follows:

The plate E is provided with a rib, b, point e, and guard (I. 4

The rib b is a prolongation of the single-track rail c, and extends forward in the same rightline, communicating at the other end of the plate with the outermost of the double rails ou the same side of theshort connecting track D.

The point 0 adjoins the innermost of the same two rails, and the guard d egxten'ds on the other side of the point 0 from the straight rib I).

The plate F is also provided with a rib, e, connecting the single-track rail of this side with the outermost of the double rails of the connecting track D, and with a point, f, adjoining the innermost of the double rails; but this plate is without a guard-rail, and the rib e is curved twice in its length in the manner of a lineof beauty, or elongated letter S. I

The complimentary pair of rail-plates Briscomposed of the plates G and H, which are, respectively, similar to the plates E and F, with the exception that thepoints and guard are conversely placed with reference to the ribs, and that an additional rib, s2, is added to each plate.

The plate G, situated on the opposite side of the track from the plate E, is provided with the straight rib b, point 0', and guard d.

It also has the additional straight rib 5 parallel with and outside of the rib l).

The larger end of the plate, or that which carries the point e, is turned toward the tongues of the switch, which shift in such a manner as to connect at one time with the point 0' and rib b','aud at another with the ribs 1) and z.

At the other or smaller end of the plate the ribs 7) and z are permanently connected with the rails on this side ot' the double-rail track D.

The plate H is situated on the same side of the track with the plate E, and is provided with the curved rib 6, point f, and the straight rib z.

The curved rib e and point f are conversely placed with reference to the same parts on plate F, andthe additional rib z is a prolongation in a straight line of the inner rail on this side of the connecting double:- rail track D, and lies on the opposite side of the point f from the curved rib c The double tongue of the switch on this side connects at one time with the curved rib c and point f, I

and at another with the point f and the straight rib 2. At the other or' smaller end of the plate the ribs 0' and z'are permanently joined to the rails of the doublerail track D.

All of these plates E F G H have their larger ends turned in the same direction-.-that is to say, toward the branching end of the switch.

htfiitt,

It is apparent that a train approaching the switch on either of thebranch tracks will be guided safely to the main track at the other end of the switch, whether 1 the tongue-rails'of the switch be turned to the right or to the left; and it will be perceived'that when the switch-rails are turned to one side there will be two bends in passing through the switch, one at the junction of the switch-rails with the frogs B and the other on the frogs C. By this construction these bends are so far separated from each other that the trucks of the car are passing over but one atta time, and I am enabled to graduate the curves so that there will be no wrenching of the wheels in the bends or at the crowding of the guard-rails.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is--- The combination, with the double-shifting tongues A of the pairs B and O, of frogsconversely arranged, and connected by the intermediate short track D having two or more parallel rails on a side, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I clairnthe above I. have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses. 1

' P. V. M.,RAYMOND.- Witnesses:

D. D. KANE, FRANK B. OUR'M- 

